25
After interminable days and sleepless nights, the information contained in Quarkban's message was confirmed. The biggest threat in the galaxy had just been annihilated, but Eldgh couldn't even celebrate the fact. Pristh had become a graveyard planet, Blue C was still in grave danger and all back-up communications had failed. In addition to this, the revolt of enslaved worlds didn't, by itself, guarantee a bright future.
At this point, they must be all dead inside the Zorth'jun. It wasn't possible to verify this, but the lack of a response to subspace communication attempts was further proof. If some of the Ikalians were alive, they would've replied. It just wasn't their style to remain silent. At least according to Eldgh. The file sent by the reptilian contained useful information, but lacked even a reference to some indispensable details. For example, once the Zorth'jun was out of hyperspace, where in the solar system would it resurface? That was a mystery. And what if the death of the Ikalians had condemned the ship to wander through hyperspace until its energy was exhausted? Although its automatic navigation system was definitely active, that still remained a possibility. Moreover, would the AI units on the ship take control? Only the C6 units would be capable, but they possessed biosynthetic parts which could've been affected by the virus. So the most likely possibility was that of a colossal Ikalian ship that was completely out of control and en route to the Earth. As to the point where it would emerge in the Blue C star system, one could only guess. A standard route would cause it to reappear at the outer part, far from the gaseous giants, to avoid any collision. Then there was also the possibility of some risky maneuver in the hope of gaining the element of surprise. Just as the Alpha Orionis had done only days before. But that was an assumption that Eldgh tended to exclude. The Ikalians had no chance at surprise: it was obvious that the Taahrians would be expecting them as they emerged. So, how should they proceed? He had one solution at least; and it was, in reality, probably the best thing to do. It was to merely expand their orbit around Blue C, in such a way as to have a greater view of any possible emergence of the Zorth'jun near the Earth. From there, they would then need to carefully probe the entire solar system. If the ship resurfaced, they would know about it. Ultimately, the plan was to stay at red alert: ears keened, eyes focused, guns loaded and dark mass generator active.
Eldgh swore on the galaxy: nothing and no one would set foot on the Earth.
26
Five months later.
Absurd conjecture, bordering on fantasy, wasn't even enough to explain the departure of the Taahrian ship, which had been gone for over twenty weeks. When it disappeared from the skies, many were happy about its departure, as definitive as it was mysterious, while others feared the worst. Eventually, it was the astronomers who discovered the truth. The Betelgeuse, though invisible to the human eye, had moved just a hundred thousand kilometers out, widening its orbit around the Earth.
When the Ikalians were questioned about the matter, they didn't know what to say. They stalled, in the most irritating way, provoking disbelief and outrage among the public. They had been presented to humanity as the indomitable defenders of the universe and had ended up as the exiles of an impotent planet.
For their part, the Ikalians, after learning of the disaster that had struck Ikali, were overwhelmed by a frustration with no way out. The survivors on Blue C attempted to reassemble their own hierarchy, but with disastrous results. The only thing on which everyone agreed was the desire to conceal the truth about the fate of the empire.
Orbiting around the twenty conquered worlds, as well as around Ikali itself, large and medium-sized ships guaranteed the survival of thousands of Ikalians. By communicating and making agreements with each other, they could get together and try to colonize a planet in an attempt to perpetuate the species and re-start their society. This was the hope of the refugees on Blue C. It was probably the best idea. There was only one problem: why on Earth would their compatriots fight the indomitable Alpha Orionis to save them from a planet that was the cause of their misfortune?
In the spirit of brotherhood and mercy?
Maybe. But was that a valid reason for an Ikalian?
No.
Acts of vandalism, then terrorism, struck more and more Ikalian settlements, so that the self-described protectors ended up becoming the protected. The Earth's authorities were concerned with ensuring order, in the remote obligatory hope that at the moment occurring six months after the Fall, the acclaimed Ikalian star fleet would appear in the heavens.
But at the expiration of the twenty-fifth week, no one saw anything.
Yet something happened.
The Alpha Orionis was focused on the boundaries of the solar system.
27
Law 731, issued by the parliament of the European Super State, shook the entire world.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE EUROPEAN SUPER STATE
Under Art. 109 of the New European Constitution;
Pursuant to Law 451 et seq regarding delegation for granting of pardons;
Heard by the Council of Ministers;
Regarding the proposal of the Minister Secretary of Justice for the Super State in agreement with the Ministers for Interstate Commerce and Defense;
It is Decreed:
Art. 1.
(Specific Pardon)
Amnesty shall be granted for the following offenses, even if committed with terroristic intent, during social unrest or in demonstrations aimed at damaging representatives of the Taahrian community, and for occasions during demonstrations and unrest caused by disasters whether natural or of alien origin.
A similar provision not only threatened to set at liberty a significant number of terrorist offenders, but allowed anyone to use it for any type of criminal offense if caused by a disaster of alien nature. Political opposition, Ikalian representatives and, in general, the rulers of the other Super States were scandalized at the legislative madness, and the death of human, civil and criminal rights.
Whatever incidents resulted from this intergovernmental resolution, the European government would go its own way. The wound caused by the fall of the Sjunish had been too great. The hatred for alien races had grown to a total intolerance. If the Taahrians were humanity's direct enemies, then the Ikalians were their inept impostors who would be punished.
Once 731 had gone into effect, living beings who were not from Earth would not be guaranteed any protection on European territory.
All Ikalians who had settled in the Old World had to flee.
Not all of them could.
The new apartheid had begun.
“It's open season on aliens!” declared one European parliamentary extremist.
A journalist, hearing the mob outside of Parliament, approached someone and asked: “Aren't you afraid that, by doing this, the Ikalian fleet may not want to help us?”
“Europe is too old for us to believe in fairy tales.”
Franz Franke didn't turn around even once to look at the cesspool behind him.
He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
It was a beautiful sunny morning in the German skies.
A great day to return to being a free man.
He thanked God for the good sense those bastard politicians had shown.
Soon he would cross the Atlantic.
Thousands of Ikalians awaited him overseas.
28
Mike Wilson felt like he was in better shape than a college athlete. The physical therapy had really put him on top of the word. Once it was done, he and his entire family flew away. Destination: New Canberra. It had now been a little over three months since they had discharged Tylor Ryan. Doctors had called it a miraculous recovery. Sure, he still needed a wheelchair to get around. In fact, he was using Mike's old one. But his existence had retaken human form. And Betty thus became the happiest woman in the world. Meanwhile, for Namiko, life was a limbo that was quickly becoming a hell. The days passed, and Sirio still hadn't managed to remember their relationship. The more time progres
sed, the more her hopes faded. At his friends' suggestion, the Italian tried to solve his memory issues by turning to a medical expert, but with poor results. Diagnostic tests had shown no brain damage, and clinical examinations had ruled out the presence of mental illness. Finally, the doctor ventured a diagnosis of dissociative amnesia from extreme stress and prescribed daily doses of phosphorus and magnesium. The last recourse was to undergo psychological therapy in the hopes that an expert psychiatrist would be able to remove the traumatic events by dissecting the intricacies of the mind. This option, however, was put to the side and postponed indefinitely. Namiko and her companions had decided that undergoing regressive methods like hypnosis could bring out a truth so shocking that Sirio would end up hidden away in some secret service bunker.
Better not to.
So they continued to ask themselves what they should do.
Probably what they had always done.
Wait, wait and wait some more.
But how long would Namiko be able to put up with that? If it seemed like a difficult situation for the others, it was monstrous for her. And yet something told her to hang in there and have faith.
Embracing her parents in Osaka again gave her some comfort. Although they weren't very open-minded, they finally understood the situation and, after a few days, had told her: “Go, go back to your Sirio.”
They didn't have to tell her twice.
She had no job, in a world that had nothing to offer her. The future was uncertain. The fate of the Earth hung in a precarious balance. The perfect climate for socio-economic crises to arise. But that wasn’t a big problem for Namiko. Tylor, Betty, her parents and Sirio himself had helped her to afford a small rental house. She didn't want to stay at Ryan's home all of the time. Even though, from morning to night, her only wish was to embrace the real Sirio, there were some moments when, gripped by despair, she wanted to put as much distance as possible between herself and the entire world. However, she spent a lot of time at Tylor's home. Betty was working and so she helped her friend with daily activities. Tylor was still forced to alternate between crutches and a wheelchair, and needed some assistance. Sirio had been lucky enough to get his old job back. He had managed to explain his many unexcused absences with a medical certificate and had given his most sincere apologies. So he, like the others, pretended to return to normal. But there was nothing really normal about it. The voids in his haunted memories, Namiko's suffering which frustrated him, and thoughts about Ingrid's disappearance were driving him out of his mind.
Then one morning, the world awoke as always, and got an incredible surprise: The Alpha Orionis had gone to the outer limits of the solar system.
Now what would happen?
Ryan's doorbell rang.
Mike and his family had arrived.
Betty opened the door and saw their friend, accompanied by a beautiful woman and a child.
“Hello, Mike!”
“Did you hear?”
Betty didn't need to ask what they were talking about. The media covered nothing else.
“Yes,” she replied brusquely, preoccupied.
They had to wait.
Again.
Wait, wait and wait some more.
And soon, they and the entire world, for better or worse, knew.
29
The long-range sensor readings were unequivocal: an object as large as the Alpha Orionis had appeared just outside of Pluto's orbit.
“Intercept!” Eldgh ordered.
There was no time to lose. The entire crew had been waiting for this moment for over five months.
They had envisioned about a thousand places where it might emerge from hyperspace. And wherever the Zorth'jun appeared, they would be able to get there in the shortest possible time. The AI's were programmed to calculate its path in fractions of a second, but that wasn't enough for the Commander: he wanted it perfected. Having to cross the asteroid belt, it was inadvisable to use superluminal thrusters. Although the maneuver attack against the Sjunish was much more dangerous, it was always preferable to reduce risks to a minimum. There was no one on board the Ikalian ship to take by surprise. They were all dead.
Bringing standard engines to the maximum, they would pass through the asteroid belt in less than a day. From that point, using curvature technology, traveling another four billion kilometers would only take a matter of minutes.
The only variable not under their control remained the potential for the Zorth'jun to suddenly change direction, but Eldgh would've bet a gram of antimatter against that: as everything was in the hands of AI's, the trajectory would remain consistent and predictable, unless their computers' schematics somehow differed from those already known to the Taahrians.
The Betelgeuse began to move. With its standard engines at maximum, it gradually accelerated until it hit three percent of the speed of light. After passing Mars, it would begin to decelerate, to get past the asteroids safely, and would then resurface near the Zorth'jun with sufficient speed.
Only one day separated Eldgh from the end of this nightmare. The future would still remain uncertain, but once he had eradicated the threat, he would be able to return to Blue C to try to explain everything to the Terrestrials. Even though he doubted he'd achieve a positive outcome. Convincing the humans seemed like an impossible mission, but he would try. He wasn't the type to give up.
The manoeuvre worked perfectly.
They reemerged about a thousand miles from the Ikalian ship.
It was the perfect distance to get a complete picture and finish their devastating attack.
“Did you see, Commander?” asked the officer who was controlling the main viewer.
“Yes! Destroy them all!” he exclaimed peremptorily.
There was much more than just one ship before them. The Zorth'jun era was supported by a large fleet of cruisers. The file which Quarkban had sent omitted a scenario like this. Under normal circumstances, Eldgh would've been worried. But the scenario before him was anything but normal. He was only reducing an army of space wreckage, filled with corpses, to dust. With the Alpha Orionis' weapons, even a single damaged C6 unit would've been enough to complete the task.
The targeting systems located their first objective. Laser beams were shot from the high energy front cannons which vaporized one of the cruisers.
“Good shot! I want this operation completed with surgical precision. We'll hit one ship at a time, reducing each to molecules. There won't be a trace of that damned virus left!”
The Taahrians watched their creators' ships being destroyed, one by one. They felt nothing for those infamous beings. After their last awakening, Eldgh and Namiko had taught them that the Ikalians were the enemy to be destroyed, but without instilling feelings of hate. This was a mission to complete and nothing more. Contrary to Eldgh, who had had months to develop and refine contempt towards those despicable, dishonest manipulators.
During the last phases of the attack, The Commander stood there with his eyes closed, meditating on the combination of shots with which he would annihilate the Zorth'jun. It was huge and he had to be sure that none of the pieces left behind remained in space: it was essential to insure that the virus was completely exterminated. Eldgh could see it all in his mind: they would reduce the ship to bits, expose it to incredibly high temperatures and forever disintegrate the molecular structure of the nanorobots. Then he thought about the Terrestrials again; about what they would say. He shook his head. It was easier to demolish the Zorth'jun.
“Support fleet has been eliminated,” announced the Tactics Officer.
“Excellent work!” the Commander congratulated him.
He could see the huge Ikalian ship surrounded by a cloud of dust on the view screen.
Powder. That was what remained of an entire civilization. Nothing but dust.
Then the moment arrived: the exact instant when six months of anguish and planning would be discharged as gigawatts of explosive energy.
The sequence had begun.
&nb
sp; The dark mass generator emitted the most intangible and destructive energy in space. Ten seconds later, tens of antimatter torpedoes would hit the carcass of the twisted Zorth'jun. Finally, lasers would surgically dissolve any remains.
Tens of thousands of Taahrians observed the moment on just as many view screens throughout the ship.
They were all waiting to see the Zorth'jun's metal plates crumble. But it didn't happen. At least that was the impression, before the glow of the exploding antimatter missiles blinded them. They were all anxiously awaiting the outcome. But as the brightness subsided, they saw something shocking.
The Zorth'jun was intact.
Eldgh was the first to suspect what had happened.
“Report!” he yelled to the officers on the bridge, who frantically tried to interpret the sensor data.
“What's wrong?” the Commander demanded.
“It's protected by an energy shield.”
“Dammit!” Eldgh swore.
It was the same shield that they had been unable to activate on the Alpha Orionis.
“Computer,” the Commander said to get the central AI's attention. “Why hasn't the dark mass generator been able to penetrate the barrier on the Zorth'jun?”
During the simulation, they had discovered that it was theoretically impossible for an energy shield to withstand the impact produced by a dark mass generator.
“Reliability of data processed at thirty per cent. Elaborate?” asked the AI, highlighting the lack of available data.
“Elaborate!” Eldgh ordered.
“The dark mass is sliding off of the Zorth'jun's deflector shield ”
“How is that possible?”
“Insufficient data.”
“What technology does it utilize?”
Live or Die Trilogy Page 34